Contact force generated by impact of boulder on concrete surface

Abstract

Severe damage to dwellings and other types of structures can be caused by the impact of a moving, or falling, object in the extreme events of rockfalls, landslides, severe windstorms, and hailstorms. Such damage which is usually localised in nature is controlled by the magnitude of the impact force occurring at the point of contact and is referred herein as the contact force. The magnitude of the contact force can be many times higher than the design impact force (which is essentially the equivalent quasi-static force derived from momentum-energy principles) as per stipulations by codes of practices. Currently, the compressive stiffness properties of the colliding materials controlling the c..